BRAKE PAD INFORMATION

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Brake Pad Brands, Compounds and Technical Information

Table of Contents:

1. Orignal Mercedes Brake Pads

    Textar       Ate       Pagid       Jurid

2. Aftermarket Brands

    PBR / Axxis / Repco
      Mintex

3. Technical Information

    Brake Squeal
    Coefficient of Friction

4. Brake Safety and Instillation Tips

Original Mercedes Brake Pads:

Mercedes uses various different companies to have their brake pads produced. Because of certain parameters that are set by the TUV in Germany and the equivalent DOT in the USA, most OEM pad companies use approximately the same compounds and materials to achieve the end result, a brake pad with a firm pedal and smooth yet effective stopping power. Also keeping the brake noise to a minimum is important and is achieved in various different ways. Another consideration of Mercedes is the ability of any given supplier to be able to meet the demand of production needed to retain a constant supply. Mercedes uses several different manufacturers to achieve this. Below is a listing of the most common ones. Although it is always recommend to retain the same brand pad on the front and rear of the same car when buying OEM / Aftermarket pads, this may not always be accomplished if purchasing original Mercedes pads. However, because great care is taken in the design and determination of the exact compound and coefficient of friction of the pads Mercedes supplies, a match will be provided even if different brands are involved.

Textar

Textar is one of the leading OEM suppliers to the German new car market. I have personally been selling Textar brake pads for 28 years now. They have proven to have the overall best formulation of combined qualities to retain the OEM stopping power designed in to your car originally! The Textar pads we sell are commonly known as the "Yellow Box Textar Pads" in some Internet communities. The compound used in the formulation of these pads is a slight bit different than the compound in the Textar or other brand OEM pads, sold at the dealers. The compound is a "European Compound" and has a longer wear life and a noticeable decrease in the amount of brake dust. They also retain the smooth but firm stopping power found in the standard OEM compound, virtually eliminating the brake squeal found in many "aftermarket" brake pads. They are not dustless, and do not last forever, but have proven to be the most popular pad in most Mercedes applications. You can find further information about Textar by visiting their Website.

Ate

Ate is an OEM supplier to both Audi and Volkswagen, among other German new car manufacturers. The Ate pad is of the same compound and formulation of brake coefficient both in the aftermarket and OEM dealer pads. They therefore retain the OEM stopping power, but like all OEM compound pads, do leave brake dust and have a nominal pad life. They do however stop your car like the manufacturer designed it to, and are able to keep the brake squeal to a minimum. To learn more about Ate brake pads and other brake components please enjoy a visit to their Website.

Pagid

Pagid is currently an OEM supplier for Mercedes, BMW, Audi, VW, and other German car manufacturers. They, like all of the other OEM brake suppliers, retain pretty much the same type compound and coefficient of friction in their pads. They retain the original stopping power designed by the car manufacturer that also helps keep the brake squeal to a minimum, but still have a minimal pad life and do leave the dreaded brake dust. One thing Pagid is doing is taking a closer look at certain applications and through innovation of design is creating solutions for some rather annoying problems. One particular application is the Mercedes W124 series cars from 1992 through 1995. Take a moment and examine the Pagid solution to an inherent and annoying squealing problem on this car. The Pagid USA Website contains much more useful information.

Jurid

Jurid brake pads are another OEM supplier for many German new car manufacturing companies including Mercedes, VW, Audi, Porsche and make the majority of the pads for BMW. Jurid also makes several different compounds for high performance and racing use. The Jurid pad, being an OEM compound, does do the job they were designed to do, but do dust and have a minimal pad life, yet are very effective at reducing the brake squeal. To learn more about Jurid the company and their products please pay a visit to their Website. Unfortunately, it is only in German at this time.

Aftermarket Brands

PBR / Axxis / Repco

PBR is an Australian company that produces many different automotive products, and has for a very long time, becoming a respected supplier. PBR brake pads used to be supplied in the USA under the Repco brand name, but no longer are. Axis is also a USA distributor of the PBR brand brake pad. Choose the name you are familiar with, but the products are still the same. Known as "Deluxe" and "Metal Master" these pads have carved a solid niche in the brake pad market in the USA. Here is what others say about the PBR pads:

Quoted from: Ausblick, the newsletter of the BMW Club of British Columbia:

"Other very popular choices of brake pads are those made by PBR/Axxis, specifically the PBR Deluxe and PBR Metal Masters. These pads dust dramatically less than the OE Jurid or Pagid pads that came on your Bimmer, and also feel positive and work well. There is a disadvantage to each of these PBR pads that bears consideration, however.

The PBR Deluxe pads are a semi-metallic street-oriented brake pad with a tendency to fade during very intense braking such as might be encountered at a track event or drivers' school. They are not suitable for such uses. The PBR Deluxe is an overall excellent street pad but should NOT be used on the track or for competition.

The PBR Metal Master pad is a metallic street-oriented pad that may be suitable for sporadic mild track use or competition. Unfortunately the PBR Metal Masters are very hard on rotors. Expect to go through a set of rotors with each set of pads. With these provisos, the PBR pads offer excellent value, good performance and up to 90% less dust than the OE Jurid or Pagid pads."

My opinion:

The Deluxe are a non-metallic pad that do not dust much, are relatively inexpensive, but tend to fade under hard use and in my opinion do not stop as well as the OEM semi-metallic compound pads. The Metal Master is a much higher metallic content pad than the OEM compound. They fair better on the track under hard use and I DO NOT recommend them for street use by older people or women with a weak leg because of the extra pedal pressure needed. I had an older couple that had Metal Master put on their car by an independent mechanic. She visited her son often, who lived up in the foothills. She complained of having difficulty stopping the car at the bottom of the hill. After a recommended change to Textar pads, the car behaved and stopped as it was designed to do, and with normal effort. She was pleased, and surprised, that there could be such a difference.

More information about PBR and their products can be found in the PBR Website.

Mintex

Mintex pads have a rich and long history in British OEM use and racing. They are becoming recognized in the USA for many qualities in an aftermarket pad, with many of the OEM pad characteristics.

Here is what one satisfied customer had to say: "Others have extolled their virtues in the past, but I have to say that I am very satisfied with my Mintex Redbox brake pads, which have been on the car for about two weeks. I got them primarily to cut down on brake dust so I wouldn't have to clean my new wheels as often. I'm happy to say that they make much, much less dust than the stock pads. Performance is at least on par with, if not better than, the stock pads."

Another customer made this comment: "Mintex pads are a product that I tried last year and, thus, have almost a year of experience with them. Not one whisper of a squeal....ever. Brake dust is minimal, too."

The availability for Mintex pads for Mercedes is limited to only a few models, mainly the ML series, but it is getting better. Much more information about Mintex brake pads is available.

Technical Information.

Brake Squeal:

"Brake Squeal - Stop That Squealing" from "Zundfolge", a publication of the BMW Automobile Club of America, edited by Greg Mierz.

Pagid's efforts to solve the problem.

Coefficient of Friction

"Another thing to look at on brake pads is the co-efficient of friction indices on the back of the pads...there should be 2 letter ratings such as "EE", "FF", "EF", etc. The first letter is the cold temp coefficient rating and the second letter the hot temp coefficient. The higher the letters, the higher the coefficient of friction. The Repco deluxes are a "FF" as are the Pagid T-compound pads. The Repco Metalmasters are a "EE"." (Quoted from unknown source.)

Brake Safety and Instillation Tips

General brake tips from Ate

General brake tips from Pagid

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